The United States Senate today by a vote of 74-18 confirmed Dr. Carla D. Hayden, longtime chief executive of the Enoch Pratt Free Library system in Baltimore and a former president of the American Library Association, as the 14th Librarian of Congress, for a renewable 10-year term.

Dr. Hayden was nominated by President Barack Obama in February.

“This is truly a great honor to be nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the nation’s library, the Library of Congress,” Dr. Hayden said. “It has been my privilege to serve the citizens of Baltimore for 23 years and help restore the Enoch Pratt Free Library as a world-renowned institution. I look forward to working with the dedicated staff of the Library of Congress. I will be honored to build on the legacy and accomplishments of my predecessors in this position, to be part of a continuing movement to open the treasure chest that is the Library of Congress even further and to make it a place that can be found and used by everyone.”

Dr. Hayden is the first woman, and the first African American, to serve as chief executive of the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world, with 162 million items in its collections. It also oversees the U.S. Copyright Office and the Congressional Research Service. It serves Congress and makes its research collections accessible on site and online.

She takes the helm from Acting Librarian David S. Mao, who has served since the retirement of Dr. James H. Billington on September 30, 2015. She will be sworn in at a date to be determined and is expected to assume her duties soon.

Dr. Hayden has recently overseen the renovation of the central branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, a four-year, $112 million project, and has also led $40 million in renovations to other units within the 22-branch Pratt system. The system is named for the businessman and philanthropist who financed its founding in 1886.

She took the helm of the Baltimore system in 1993, winning strong praise for her work to ensure that the city’s library system offers a broad array of services to assist citizens from all walks of life, from access to books and other learning materials to computer access and job information. A program of outreach into neighborhoods served by the Pratt libraries included after-school centers for teens, offering homework assistance and college counseling; a program offering healthy-eating information for residents in areas with insufficient access to high-quality food; programming in Spanish; establishment of an electronic library, and digitization of the Library’s special collections.

Dr. Hayden won high praise, during recent civil unrest in some Baltimore neighborhoods, for keeping library branches open citywide to continue service and provide citizens with safe havens.

Dr. Hayden first served as a children’s librarian in the Chicago Public Library system, eventually rising to the post of deputy commissioner and chief librarian in that system. She also taught Library and Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh. She received Library Journal’s 1995 Librarian of the Year Award, and served as president of the American Library Association 2003-2004.

Dr. Hayden received a B.A. from Roosevelt University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Graduate Library School of the University of Chicago.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States – and extensive materials from around the world – both on site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov and register create works of authorship at copyright.gov.

From ARL

ARL Celebrates Confirmation of Carla Hayden as Librarian of Congress

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) applauds the US Senate’s approval today, in a vote of 74-18, of the nomination of Carla D. Hayden as the 14th Librarian of Congress. Hayden is currently the CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland, and a member of the US National Museum and Library Services Board. The Library of Congress—an ARL member—is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, the research arm of Congress, and one of the largest libraries in the world, with a rich and enduring collection open to all.

President Obama said in a statement released by the White House on February 24, 2016, that, if Hayden’s appointment was confirmed by the Senate, “As Librarian of Congress, she’ll work in close partnership with Congress, support the copyright office that serves our nation’s creative communities, and explore new ways to share the information housed within our library through innovative technologies.” He noted that she would be the first woman and the first African American to hold the position, “both of which are long overdue.”

ARL president Larry Alford said, “The Association of Research Libraries is pleased that the Senate confirmed President Obama’s nomination of Carla Hayden to this vital post at a critical time. Now more than ever, the Librarian of Congress ensures the broad access to information that is essential to teaching, learning, and civic engagement.”

From ALA

Dr. Carla Hayden to Serve as the Next Librarian Of Congress

The Senate approved the nomination of Dr. Carla Hayden to serve as the nation’s 14th Librarian of Congress. Dr. Hayden, American Library Association (ALA) past president and director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland, is the first female and the first African American to lead the Library of Congress. She also is the first professional librarian to be confirmed in more than 60 years.

Dr. Hayden’s appointment comes in the wake of the retirement of Dr. James H. Billington and on the heels of a rigorous ALA grassroots and social media campaign (#Hayden4LOC) that encouraged thousands of library advocates to contact their Senators to support her confirmation.

“The library community is elated that Dr. Hayden is our nation’s new Librarian of Congress,” stated ALA President Julie Todaro. “She holds all of the professional competencies needed to successfully lead the nation’s library.

“There is no doubt that Dr. Hayden will have a positive impact by leading efforts to establish a more modern approach to serving members of Congress, researchers and the public at large. Hayden holds a profound understanding of the integral role libraries play in formal education, community-based learning, and the promotion of individual opportunity and community progress. I believe that through her visionary leadership the Library of Congress will soon mirror society’s rapidly changing information environment, while successfully preserving the cultural record of the United States.”

The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

“This is truly a great honor to be nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the nation’s library, the Library of Congress,” said Dr. Hayden. “It has been my privilege to serve the citizens of Baltimore for 23 years and help restore the Enoch Pratt Free Library as a world- renowned institution. I want to thank the Pratt Library’s Board of Directors and Trustees, donors, and most importantly, the patrons, for their trust and support. I look forward to working with the dedicated staff of the Library of Congress. I will be honored to build on the legacy and accomplishments of my predecessors in this position, to be part of a continuing movement to open the treasure chest that is the Library of Congress even further, and to make it a place that can be found and used by everyone.”

Dr. Hayden was nominated by President Barack Obama in February to be the Chief Executive of the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. She will be the first woman, and the first African American, to serve as Librarian of Congress.

The Pratt Library’s Board of Directors and Trustees will start a nationwide search for a permanent CEO and promises a seamless transition that will not affect library services, programs or projects.

“We are grateful to Dr. Carla Hayden for the remarkable creativity, energy, and dedication she has brought to the Pratt Library over the past 23 years.With her amazing talent and the wonderful staff she assembled, Dr. Hayden revitalized the library’s programs, services, and resources,” said Patricia Lasher, chair of the Enoch Pratt Free Library Board of Directors and Trustees. “Respecting Enoch Pratt’s mission to provide equal access to traditional library resources to all citizens, she has successfully led efforts to modernize the Pratt Library so all city citizens have access to the advantages of the digital world. Baltimore, along with the State of Maryland, has benefitted from Dr. Hayden’s extraordinary vision, and now the rest of the country will too. We are proud of her.”

Dr. Hayden joined the Pratt Library in July 1993 during a time when it needed help with its aging buildings, its budgets, and its outreach to the city’s diverse communities. Through her 23 year tenure, Dr. Hayden led a number of projects to update both the technology and infrastructure of the Pratt Library system. She oversaw the building of a new annex for the Central Library, supervised the building of the new Southeast Anchor Library, which was the first new branch library building in Baltimore in more than 35 years, directed the renovation of 10 library branches, and currently manages the $112 million renovation of the Central Library/ State Library Resource Center. More importantly, Dr. Hayden began programs to bring people into the libraries by improving outreach services to the neighborhoods. This included an after-school center for teens that offered homework assistance and college & career counseling; a virtual supermarket, which provided healthy alternatives to Baltimore food deserts; Spanish speaking programs; the establishment of an eLibrary; and the digitization of the Library’s special collections. For her work at the Pratt Library, Dr. Hayden was honored in 1995 with the Librarian of the Year Award from Library Journal Magazine. Dr. Hayden also served as President of the American Library Association from 2003 to 2004.

The Enoch Pratt Free Library, the nation’s first free library system, opened its doors in 1886, the result of the generosity and imagination of businessman and philanthropist Enoch Pratt. Mr. Pratt envisioned a public library where “races, ages, and socio-economic classes mingled and people could educate themselves – without cost,” and his passionate belief continues to guide the organization. Today’s Pratt Library – Baltimore’s public library and the Maryland State Library Resource Center – consists of the Central Library, an anchor library, 22 branches, two bookmobiles, Pratt Centers for Technology Training, and the Regional Information Center. The Library’s mission is to provide equal access to information and services that support, empower, and enrich all who pursue knowledge, education, cultural enrichment, and lifelong learning.

Gary Price (gprice@mediasourceinc.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. Before launching INFOdocket, Price and Shirl Kennedy were the founders and senior editors at ResourceShelf and DocuTicker for 10 years. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com, and is currently a contributing editor at Search Engine Land.